Marie Lunne
What’s up!! I’m Marie! I’m a current high school sophomore, sister, friend, and INFJ with a huge passion for people, Mother Mary, Chick-fil-A, John Paul II, great bike rides, service of any type, painting, and all good things. I hope you enjoy my thoughts on leading a resurrected lifestyle!
How do you let God make you a resurrected woman? How has he done this in your life?
I think that I have lived all of my life with a desire to know the Lord in a deeper way. I truly believe that all humans were created that way, with a deep desire for truth, beauty, and goodness that can only be found in the person of Christ. I then realized later in my life that Jesus is what I truly was looking for when I dreamed of perfect goodness. Before my freshman year, I had the opportunity to travel on a pilgrimage to Fatima, Portugal with the coolest leaders and 30 peers who truly loved Jesus. While on pilgrimage, I experienced the Love of Christ in the Eucharist through His mother. Since then, I’ve lived a life that gives me joy and a purpose. My friends, life itself is a cause for joy.
How does living out the resurrection look like in your daily life?
I’m going to try to flip this question around by saying that the resurrection is simply living your daily life. This sounds silly, but the first thing I do in the morning when I wake up is make the sign of the cross. This simple little action reminds me that my every day is geared towards glorifying God. I truly believe that when someone “meets” the Lord, it is impossible not to feel the joy of the resurrection. Living out the resurrection does not mean always being joy-filled and excited all the time - it is often found in the ordinary things - like waving to someone in the hallway, doing the laundry, sending an encouraging text to a friend, or doing homework. I often encounter the Lord in moments when I seek Him in intimacy - out of intimacy with Jesus comes fruitfulness for your life. What I’m saying is, it’s all about baby steps, the Lord meets you where you are at any time, it doesn’t matter what feelings come along with it. Be Jesus’ hands and feet, so others can come to know the joy of the resurrection, too.
Why can it be hard? How do you defeat these difficulties?
Jesus never said that it would be easy to follow Him, He said to take up our cross and follow Him. But sisters, we must always know that the cross leads to the resurrection. There is joy even in our suffering. Sometimes I feel like I have fallen too short and blown God’s plan for my life, but He reminds me that I am seriously not that powerful. Sometimes I feel “too lazy” or “too stressed out” to focus on Jesus at the moment, but He reminds me that saints glorify God with their everything, even in the mundane day-to-day and work. Surround yourself with good people who care about your soul, pray often, give your suffering to the Lord, and constantly remind yourself of how Jesus looks at you with delight in whatever way you can. Trust in the Lord, His love overcomes all things!
What helps you center back in with Christ?
The people I surround myself with really help me center back in with Christ. Whether they are my best friends, saints, or family members, I get inspired easily. I love talking to people. It’s one of my biggest joys to just hear about someone’s life. People are so cool. How the saints lived also gets me super pumped up - my ultimate goal is to be a saint so looking to them inspires me & keeps me on track. For example, there is this one guy named Pier Giorgio Frassati, he’s almost a saint and inspires me like no other. He used to purposefully lose in games of pool and then at the very end would tell his opponent that if he won the next round, the opponent would have to go to adoration with him. He was pretty good, so he was often seen with a couple guys walking into the adoration chapel the next morning. He did a ton of other cool stuff, too, like feeding the poor and fighting for justice. This example helps pull me back to Christ because it inspires me like no other. He was so joyful! Because of these little stories, I want to be a saint. Oh yeah, and also sacraments!
How do you keep the faith through the changing seasons of life?
I remember after the Lord first revealed Himself to me, I thought that my faith would never waiver and this so-called “retreat high” would never go away. But this idea & hope I held was not entirely true. I was soon hit with the reality that faith lives are not always perfect. Most of the time, they are more of rollercoasters. I think it is important to remember that Jesus is not a feeling, He is a person. Jesus never changes. The hard seasons, although difficult, help us learn more about God. There is always an end to every season, He is always faithful.
Have you ever had a necklace that represented something for you? How has this impacted your life?
YES!! So many!! When my sister (the owner of this cool blog) came back from her pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, she brought me a beautiful miraculous medal that I wear every day. I love it and when people ask me about it, I love telling them about Mary. The other piece of jewelry that means A TON to me is my consecration chain, it symbolizes me being chained to Mary and reminds me of how she is walking with me!
If you had to share one thing with women what would it be?
Sisters, we are truly made uniquely and have this crazy cool way of loving people. Jesus looks upon you with an insane amount of love and is chasing after your heart RIGHT NOW! The world needs you. What a joy it is that we don’t have to wait even a moment to start changing the world, every small act matters.